Process of printing calico



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J. J. HART. PROCESS OF PRINTING CALICO.

No. 429,131. Patented June 8,1890.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @EETCE.

JOHN J OSEPH HART, OF -LOVVELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

PROCESS OF PRINTING CALlCO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,131, dated June 3, 1890.

Application filed December 24, 1889. Serial No. 834,800. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN JOSEPH HART, of Lowell, Middlesex county, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in the Art or Method of Printing Calico, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, llke letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to a novel method by WlllCll a lake or color fixed in a textile fabric may be developed or varied in shade to produce the shade of color desired.

In color-printing as now commonly practiced the fabric, either cotton or wool, or a mixture of both in the form of a web, is subj ected to the following chief operations or steps, viz: The coloring-matter mixed with a mordant or like mixture of reacting bodies which constitutes the color or dye of the printer is printed upon or applied to the fabric by means of suitable printing machinery, such as rollers; second, the said color or dye is then fixed or formed into a lake in the cloth by the ordinary operationssuch as drying or steamingand the said lake or color fixed in the cloth is then developed or brought to the required shade by passing the printed fabricthrough a hot bath containing the reagent or developing substance, which, for example, may be bichromateof potash, tartar emetic, or other suitable or well-known reagent. As the printed fabric passes through the hot bath referred to the chemical reaction between the lake and the developing reagent is effected by the heat of the bath, which is maintained at the temperature suitable to effect the chemical reaction, which temperature may be varied according to the nature of the reagent or fabric-that is the lake or color fixed in the fabric is chemically reacted upon by the bichromate or other reagent to produce the desired shade of color.

It has been found in practice that a portion of the lake or color printed upon the fabric by the printing-rollers, together with foreign matters on the clothsu ch as starch&c.-applied in the prior preparation of the cloth, is mechanically detached or dissolved by the agitation of the liquid of the hot bath referred to, and also by the passage of the fabric through the apparatus, so that the detached or dissolved color or lake and foreign matters not only contaminate the said bath and render it worthless after little use and before the bichromate or other reagent has been-entirely or wholly utilized, but also stain or otherwise disfigure the pattern printed upon the fabric. This is especially true when a portion of the fabric is not printed upon, so as to leave a white ground or figure in the design, and in this case the white portion not only becomes discolored or injured by the contaminated solution of the bath, but also by the detached or dissolved lake or color running down over the fabric as it is passed through the portion of the apparatus above the vat containing the contaminated reagent.

I have discovered by experiment that the deleterious effects obtained in the developing part or process of color-printing as now commonly practiced and above referred to may be obviated by effecting the chemical reaction between the developing reagent and the color or lake in the fabric after the printed fabric has passed out of and away from the bath of the developing reagent.

In accordance with my invention, therefore, the bath of developing reagent is maintained at a suitable temperature below the point necessary to effect the desired chemical reaction, (itbeingpreferablycold,)andthesaidchemical reaction between the reagent and color or lake in the fabric is effected outside of the said bath by passing the fabric over or about hot cylinders or in other well-known manner of heating, such as by passing itthrough a steamchest.

The particular features in-which my invention consists will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 shows in section a sufficient portion of one form of apparatus with which to practice my invention to enable it to be understood, the vat containing the reagent being in section; and Fig. 2, a modification to be referred to. v r

The vat A, containing a solution A of bi chromate, tartar emetic, or other developing reagent, supports a frame a, in which are mounted bearings a, a of rolls a a the bearing a being herein shown as fixed or stationary, it being fastened, as shown, by bolts a and the bearing a being movable in the frame a, as shown, by means of ad juetingscrews a, (only one of which is shown,) to adjust the position of the roll a with relation to the roll a, for a purpose as will be described. The roll a will preferably be of brass or other suitable metal, and the roll (0 preferably of india-rubbcr or other elastic or yielding material, or it may be a wooden or other roll having a covering of indiarubher or other elastic or yielding material.

The fabric Z), which may be of cotton, wool, or a mixture of both, or other textile material on which a mixture of coloring-matter and mordant or like reacting body has been previously applied in any suitable or well known manner, and then fixed or formed into a lake in the cloth by subsequent operationssueh as steaming or drying, &c.is first passed under a roller 1), as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, then over a roller and under a third roller 1), and then between the squeezing-rollers c a, by which the surplus liquid or solution A in the fabric is pressed out thereof, it dropping by gravity back into the vat A.

Thesolution A containing the developing reagentsuch as bichromate of potash or soda, tartar emetic, or other suitable reagent-may be supplied to the vat A by a suitable pipe. (Not shown.) The solution A in the vat is maintained at any temperature suitable, but below the point or degree of heat necessary to effect the chemical reaction between it and the lake or color fixed in the fabric, the said solution being preferably admit-ted into the vat cold, whereby the color or lake in the fabric is not dissolved or detached.

The rollers I) Z) serve to bind the cloth upon the roller 71 technically known as the stretcher or opener, by which the cloth is opened and freed from folds and scrimps.

The roll (0 may be moved toward or away from the roll a to expel more or less of the solution containing the developing reagent from the fabric as the case requires, so that the properamount of developing reagent may be left in the fabric to effect the best or desired result.

In practice the fabric 11 is passed through the vat A in the form of a web, it being composed of a number of separate pieces sewed or otherwise secured together. After passing the squeezing-rolls a a" the web of cloth 1), containing the color or lake and solution of developing reagent, is heated to effect the chemical reaction between the color or lake and the developing reagent. As shown in Fig. 1, the heat referred to is obtained by means of revolving cylinders c 0, around or about which the web I) is passed, it being first psssed, as shown, overa roller 0 located, substantially as shown, to utilize the maximum amount of the heating-surface of the cylinder 0. The cylinders c c are shown as supported by a frame consisting of brackets 0 secured to standards 0, (only one of which is shown,) the said cylinders being preferably heated by steam admitted into them through a suitable inlet (not shown)--as, forinstance, a hollow journalas usual with apparatus of this class.

Instead of the steam-cylinders c c, the necessary heat to effect the chemical reaction may be obtained by means of a steam-chest c, (see Fig. 2,) provided with a steam inlet and outlet (not shown) orin other suitable or usual manner.

By subjecting the printed fabric to the solution containing the developing reagent maintained substantially coldthat is, below thetemperature or point of reaction-the said fabric becomes saturated, padded, or impregnated with the said developing solution, which being substantially cold does not dissolve or detach the color or lake and foreign matter from the goods during their short immersion, so that the developing solution expressed from the fabric by the squeezingrolls returns to the vat A clear and uncontaminated with foreign coloring-matter. It will thus be seen that the solution containing the developing reagent may be entirely consu med or utilized, thus obviating delays necessary to replace the contaminated solution and rendering the process continuous, whereby a greater quantity of work may be accomplished in a given time. Furthermore, the discoloring or staining of the white ground or figure of the fabric is also entirely obviated.

I do not desire to limit my invention to the use of rolls to free the surplus developing solution or reagent from the fabric, as other devices may be employcd as, for instance, centrifugal machines-01- the fabric may be allowed to drain before being heated, in which case the cold or substantially cold developing liquid running down over the fabric would not dissolve out or detach any of the coloror die from the fabric.

In practice the fabric is not entirely dried by the cylinders c c.

In order that my invention may be fully comprehended, I will specifically describe my process as applied in practice, viz: The coloring-matter mixed with tannic acid is applied to the cloth by printing-rollers or in other suitable manner, preferably in the form of a design, and the cloth is then treated as by steaming to effect a chemical reaction between the coloring-matter and the mordant that is, the tannic acid-and form an insoluble precipitate or lakein the fiber. So far this is the ordinary mode of procedure. The cloth is then passed through a bath containing antimony and maintained below the degree necessary to effect the desired reaction between the color or lake and reagent-that is, the tannic acid and antimony. The cloth is then subjected to heat outside the bath and the chemical reaction thoroughly effected between the tannic acid and the antimony, whereby the shade of the color or lake printed upon the cloth is developed to produce the desired shade and fixity of color. In case the coloringanatter requires oxidation to produce ICC the desired shadeas, for instance, catechu the color is mixed with a mordant-such as acetate of chromiumand the mixture applied to the fabric and a lake formed, as by drying or steaming. The coloris fixed in the cloth,but has not been oxidized or developed to bring it up to the required shade, and in order to effect this result the cloth is passed through. a bath of oxidizing or developing reagentsuch as bichromate of potashbut maintained cold or substantially cold. The development of the color or lake is then effected by the subsequent application of heat outside the bath.

The apparatus herein shown by which to practice my improved method is not herein claimed, as it forms the subject-matter of another application, Serial No. 271,415, filed April 21, 1888.

I claim- 1. That improvement in the art or method of developing lakes or colors fixed on textile fabrics, which consists, first, in subjecting the fabric containing the lake or fixed color to a solution of developing reagent at a temperature below the point or degree necessary to effect the chemical reaction between the lake or fixed color and the developing reagent, and then exposing the fabric containing the fixed color or lake and developing reagent to the action of heat to effect the chemical reaction between the lake or fixed color and developing reagent, substantially as described.

2. That improvement in the art or method of developing lakes or colors fixed in design on textile fabrics, which consists, first, in passing the fabric containing the lake or color fixed in design through a bath of solution of developing reagent maintained at a tempera-.

WVitnesses: v

J AS. H. CHURCHILL, E. J. BENNETT. 

